Project Apis m. Welcomes New Habitat Program Director!

Project Apis m. is excited to welcome our new Habitat Program Director, Rory Crowley to our team. 
 
Starting in January, 2022, Rory will be managing the Seeds for Bees program in California and working with the Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund to grow and develop PAm’s forage & habitat programs.  We are looking forward to the addition of Rory’s unique experiences which bring new perspective along with well-worn “boots-on-the-ground” to our efforts. 

Since moving to Chico in 2015, Rory Crowley has served in multiple capacities at Nicolaus Nut Company (NNC), a closely-held family company that owns and manages over 500 acres of almonds and walnuts in the Chico area. He finished his time at NNC as Chief Operations Officer and Executive Vice President for Business Development and Field Research. 

Rory is a graduate of the 2016 Almond Board of California Leadership Program, where his Leadership Special Project received the top honor for his 2016 Class— Rory is also a Farmer/Mentor at CSU-Chico’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems, where his work is showcased on biosolarization, cover crops, and water use efficiency. 

Rory’s has written many articles on farming and sustainability in the Sacramento Valley for leading industry publications. He has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s degree in ancient history. More than half a dozen research projects have been fully funded and undertaken at NNC under Rory’s leadership, with world-class researchers and academic institutions, each having the primary goals of advancing scientific inquiry in sustainable agriculture and seeking to make those results understandable, adoptable, and profitable for growers. Chief among the projects were research with cover crops and soil health. ​

Rory lives in Chico with his wife, Cassi, their son, Pax (4), their daughter, Milli Jane (2), their son, Judah Paul (4 months), and their awesome cat, Iggy. 

Rory Crowley (R) talks about the benefits of cover crops to a group of stakeholders during the 2019 almond bloom. (Nicolaus Nut Company, Chico, CA)

For more information, or to contact Rory, please e-mail:  SeedsForBees@ProjectApism.org